Zolin (MH616v)

Zolin (MH616v)
Compound Glyph

Glyph or Iconographic Image Description: 

This compound glyph provides a frontal view of a vertical quail (zolin) feather. Below the feather is the head of a bird, which is likely also a quail, included to reinforce the reading. The small feather here is black and white. The bird's head is shown in profile, facing toward the viewer's right. Its beak is open.

Description, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Added Analysis: 

The quail had a role in the religious life of the Nahuas, largely serving as offerings. Their remains are very prevalent in the finds at the Templo Mayor, and they are prominent in the Mixtecs' Codex Nuttall. For further information see Elena Mazzetto, "Quail in the Religious Life of the Ancient Nahuas", en Milbrath, Susan y Elizabeth Baquedano (coords.), 2023, Birds and Beasts of Ancient Mesoamerica. Animal Symbolism in the Postclassic Period, Denver, University Press of Colorado, pp. 200-219.

Added Analysis, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Gloss Image: 
Date of Manuscript: 

1560

Creator's Location (and place coverage): 

Huejotzingo, Puebla

Semantic Categories: 
Syntax: 
Writing Features: 
Cultural Content, Credit: 

Jeff Haskett-Wood

Parts (of compounds or simplex + notation): 
Reading Order (Compounds or Simplex + Notation): 
Keywords: 

quails, cordonices, birds, pájaros

Glyph or Iconographic Image: 
Relevant Nahuatl Dictionary Word(s): 
Glyph/Icon Name, Spanish Translation: 

El Codorniz

Spanish Translation, Credit: 

Stephanie Wood

Image Source: 

Matrícula de Huexotzinco, folio 616v, World Digital Library, https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_15282/?sp=315st=image.

Image Source, Rights: 

This manuscript is hosted by the Library of Congress and the World Digital Library; used here with the Creative Commons, “Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License” (CC-BY-NC-SAq 3.0).

Historical Contextualizing Image: